African penguin
Amazing fact
The spots on an African penguin’s chest differ from one individual to another.
San Diego Zoo
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The spots on an African penguin’s chest differ from one individual to another.
THE REAL WORLD
The real African penguin
- Scientific name
- Spheniscus demersus
- Japanese name
- ケープペンギン
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Spheniscus
Where the name “African penguin” comes from
It is also called the jackass penguin in English because of its loud, donkey-like call.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebA penguin of the Atlantic coast of southern Africa. No other penguin species is found on the African continent.
Its black back and white belly help hide it from predators both in the sky above and in the water below.
It usually catches fish alone or in small groups, but when there is a huge school of fish, it sometimes hunts together with other seabirds.
How the African penguin lives
It nests in burrows in sand or beneath bushes or rocks. Underwater, it swims with larger movements of its flippers. It bathes near shore and preens with its bill and feet.
San Diego Zoo上野動物園University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Total length: 60–70 cm上野動物園
- Weight
- 2–4 kg上野動物園
- Lifespan
- up to 27 years in the wild, up to 25 years in captivityUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Schooling pelagic fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans上野動物園
- Range
- Atlantic coast of southern Africa上野動物園
Where the African penguin has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ケープペンギン
- 简体中文
- 黑脚企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 南非企鵝
- 한국어
- 아프리카펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino africano
- Français
- Manchot du Cap
- Deutsch
- Brillenpinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-do-cabo
- Italiano
- Pinguino africano
- हिन्दी
- अफ्रीकी पेंगुइन
- العربية
- البطريق الأفريقي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin Afrika
- Русский
- Очковый пингвин
- Türkçe
- Afrika pengueni
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — ケープペンギンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Spheniscus demersusChecked: 2026-11-03
- San Diego Zoo — African PenguinChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the African penguin, look for this
- Look for the pink area above its eyes.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the African penguin
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Spheniscidae
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